Location: C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum – Oxford, MS [Capacity: 8,700]
Time: 12:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: CBS / CBSHD
Online Video: CBSSports.com
Live Updates: OGGOA on Twitter

Odds: Florida +4.5, O/U 144.5

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» The dynamic backcourt of…sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton who are averaging 30.8 points and 7.6 assists per game in conference play this season.
» Speaking of Walker and Boynton…they have hit 52 of the Gators’ 66 treys in SEC play.
» Junior forward Alex Tyus…who is dominating the front court, has reached double figures in 15 of 17 games and scored 15+ in eight of those.
» Junior F Chandler Parsons…who has two double-doubles over his last four games, has also been helping dish the ball and run the point. He is averaging 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds over those same four games.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 11-2 when the redshirt junior transfer center finishes in double figures.
» Guard Chris Warren…who leads the Rebels with a team-high 16.5 points per game.

STREAKS:
» Florida leads the all-time series against Ole Miss 57-42, winning seven out of the last eight in the series. They are 10-6 against this opponent under Billy Donovan
» However, the last time the Gators visited the Rebels they lost 89-87 after being down 16 in the second half. UF is only 3-3 at Tad Smith Coliseum.
» Florida is 5-0 against the SEC West in 2010, 49-16 (20-12 on the road) since 2000.
» A win Saturday would give the Gators its first 6-0 sweep of the SEC West since 2003 and its most road wins since 2006-07.
» Florida is 5-3 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season. UF is 4-1 in the last five contests that were that close.
» The Gators have outrebounded seven of its last nine conference opponents and is 12-2 overall when out-rebounding an opponent in 2010.
» After shooting just 47.8 percent from the charity stripe (22-of-46) over its previous two games, Florida went 32-for-40 (80 percent) from the line Thursday.
» Six of the Gators’ eight losses on the season have come from teams with RPIs currently inside the top 28 (five from teams ranked 19 or higher).
» Ole Miss took down then-No. 7 Kansas State in November and is averaging more than 80.0 points per game at home.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Chris Warren, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, SEC, Tad Smith Coliseum, Vernon Macklin

Opening BIT » Congratulations to forward/center Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks for a career-high 31 points in his 200th NBA game on Wednesday! “In the fourth quarter, I looked up at the scoreboard and I was pretty excited about it,” Horford said. “Obviously, I’m more concerned about winning. But when you’re able to do something like that individually, it always feels good.”

1 » Coming through with two titles, one Southeastern Conference record and one school record on the first day of competition, Florida Gators swimming and diving completed its second of four days of competition in the 2010 SEC Championships by taking home three more individual conference titles as well as a relay title. Junior Conor Dwyer and seniors Shaune Fraser and Gemma Spofforth all won individual SEC Championships, while the Gators women’s 200 free relay team defended its title. Florida now has six SEC titles in the first two days of the meet. The Gators men’s and women’s teams each led their respective fields going into Thursday’s events; however, both fell to second by the time the day was over. UF also achieved numerous NCAA qualifying times throughout the day. Day three of the SEC Championships begins Friday at 10 a.m. from the Gabrielsen Natatorium at the University of Georgia.
Men: Auburn (291 points), Florida (282), Georgia (205)
Women: Georgia (300 points), Florida (266), Auburn (248)

2 » While the men’s team bounced back with a win Thursday against Auburn after suffering consecutive losses, Florida women’s basketball (13-13, 6-7 SEC) fell to their third-straight ranked opponent on the road against the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (22-4, 10-3 SEC) in the Memorial Coliseum. A three-pointer by senior guard Lonnika Thompson with 9:04 remaining in the game brought the Gators within two points of the Wildcats (47-45), but Florida would allow Kentucky to outscore them 30-6 in the remaining time to pull off a 77-51 victory. Dooming the Gators were 23 turnovers and poor defense – the Wildcats shot 66.7 percent from the floor. Florida will try to bounce back against another ranked opponent, the No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs, who they host in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Sun., Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2.

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Conor Dwyer, diving, Gabrielsen Natatorium, Gemma Spofforth, Kentucky Wildcats, Lonnika Thompson, Memorial Coliseum, NBA, NCAA, SEC Championship, Shaune Fraser, swimming, University of Georgia, women's basketball

Led by a strong all-around effort from junior forward Chandler Parsons, the Florida Gators (18-8, 7-4 SEC) held on for a 78-70 victory over the Auburn Tigers (12-14, 3-8 SEC) Thursday evening at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

In a must-win game for the Gators, their frontcourt players stepped up from the get-go, scoring 42 of the team’s 78 points and amassing 23 of Florida’s 28 rebounds. Parsons, who led the Gators with a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting with five rebounds and four assists, had plenty of support from starting juniors F Alex Tyus (12 points, seven rebounds) and center Vernon Macklin (seven points, four rebounds). Surprisingly, it was Florida’s bench that truly made the difference as senior F Dan Werner went 3-for-5 for nine points and four boards and freshman F Erik Murphy contributed seven points on 3-of-3 shooting with three rebounds.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s Florida vs. Auburn game story after the jump!
Continue Reading » Frontcourt leads Florida over Auburn in O’Dome

Tags: Alex Tyus, Andre Malone, Auburn Tigers, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, DeWayne Reed, Erik Murphy, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Lucas Hargrove, O'Connell Center, Tay Walker, Vernon Macklin

1 » Florida Gators (17-8, 6-4) vs. Auburn TIgers (12-13, 3-7) Pre-Game:
Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST) | TV: ESPN | Online: ESPN360 | Odds: Florida -9, O/U 145

- Auburn leads the all-time series against Florida 87-68, though the Gators won 10 straight before falling to the Tigers in the 2009 SEC Tournament. Under head coach Billy Donovan, Florida is 13-4 against Auburn and 6-0 in the O’Dome.
- The Gators are 5-3 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season. Florida is 4-1 in the last five contests that were that close.
- UF is now 6-1 in conference play and 12-2 overall when out-rebounding an opponent.
- The Gators have been holding opponents to 58.8 points per game in their 17 wins while allowing the number to jump to 75.8 points per game in its eight losses.
- The Tigers are scoring 75.7 points per game with fourstarters averaging 13+ points.
- The dynamic backcourt of sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton is averaging 31.2 points and 7.5 assists in SEC play this season.
- Speaking of Walker and Boynton, they have hit 51 of the Gators’ 64 treys in SEC play. Walker has gone for 20+ points in five of 10 SEC games.
- Junior forward Alex Tyus is dominant the front court, scoring double figures in 14 of 16 games and 15+ in eight of those. Tyus had a career-high 15 rebounds last Wednesday.
- Junior F Chandler Parsons nearly completed three straight double-doubles and is averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over his last three contests.
- Double-digit scoring by redshirt junior center Vernon Macklin usually results in a victory. The Gators are 11-2 when he finishes in double figures. He had his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards against Xavier.
- Auburn guard DeWayne Reeds is fifth in the SEC in assists (4.3 per game).
- Tigers forward Lucas Hargrove averages 7.4 boards, sixth in the conference.

Florida must shoot better from the FT line and downtown while not looking ahead…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: …on the Florida vs. Auburn game

Tags: Alex Tyus, Auburn Tigers, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, DeWayne Reeds, Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Lucas Hargrove, SEC, Vernon Macklin

Central Florida Community College power forward Ricardo Ratliffe (Hampton, VA) is looking to play for a Division I program in 2011, and the Florida Gators stand out as one of the most prominent teams on his short list, according to The Gainesville Sun’s Richard Burton.

Ratliffe, at 6’9″ 240 lbs., is considered by most scouts to be the best junior college prospect in the country. He attended two recent Florida home games and even worked out with the Gators at times over the summer.

“When I first got [to CFCC], [Florida] was recruiting me, but then they kind of backed off for a while because they thought they had what they needed inside,” Ratliffe said. “They thought they had the toughness and overall good play inside, but as the season went on, they realized they needed tougher players and players who would go after rebounds.

[Head coach Billy] Donovan was saying, ‘We have the best player in the nation 30 minutes away,’ so they’ve just tried to get back. They began recruiting me again last month and they are trying to make up for lost time.”

Speaking about Donovan, Ratliffe called him “a straight shooter” who “thinks I will have to work for it, but if I go there, I can be a starter with hard work.” Starting is important to Ratliffe, who realizes he has to make an impression with NBA scouts quickly as he will be a junior in 2011. “I can’t come off the bench being a junior,” he added. “It’s not like coming out of high school. I’m looking to start right away.”

The earliest Ratliffe can officially sign with a school is April 14.

With redshirt junior center Vernon Macklin and junior forward Alex Tyus both likely returning in 2011, freshman F Erik Murphy earning additional playing time and 2010 four-star F recruits Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) and Casey Prather (Jackson, TN) already in the fold, Ratliffe may end up looking elsewhere. Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, South Carolina, LSU and Missouri are also vying for his services.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Casey Prather, Central Florida Community College, Erik Murphy, Patric Young, Ricardo Ratliffe, Vernon Macklin

1 » Former Florida Gators All-American center and NBA first-round draft pick Dwayne Schintzius is in the middle of an extensive battle with leukemia. Schintzius, 41, is the Gators’ fifth all-time leading scorer (1,624 points); the team’s career blocks leader; the only player in SEC history with more than 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists and 250 blocks; and a nine-year NBA veteran who was drafted No. 24 overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 1990. He received a bone marrow transplant on Jan. 12 from his brother Travis, and his family prays each day that his condition will improve. You can read more about his past career and present condition here and here.

2 » Florida sophomore running back Jeff Demps, a freshman as a track and field sprinter, was awarded his second SEC Male Freshman of the Week award by the conference on Tuesday. Demps, who won the men’s 60-meter dash at the Tyson Invitational last week, set a NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 6.59, tying teammate Terrell Wilks for the school record. His time in the 60 is the fastest in the nation so far this season and ranks 15th in the world.

Two more BITS on Erving Walker and Steve Addazio after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Schintzius, Demps, Walker, Addazio

Tags: Dwayne Schintzius, Erving Walker, Jeff Demps, Jeff Driskel, Junior Day, NBA, NCAA, San Antonio Spurs, SEC, Steve Addazio, Terrell Wilks, Urban Meyer

1 » The month of February is half over and Florida Gators basketball fans are concerned about where their team will be playing in the end of March. Will it earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons or join some other traditional college basketball powerhouses in the NIT? While ESPN‘s Joe Lunardi has left the Gators out of his most recent bracketology, Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated believes Florida still has a legitimate shot. Davis lists the Gators as a 12-seed and predicts an upset over 5-seed Wake Forest. “Despite recent struggles, Florida looks like a team capable of making the tournament — and staging a first-round upset,” Davis writes.

2 » With the 2010 NFL Draft coming up and plenty of Florida players in contention for top picks, The Houston Chronicle’s Lance Zierlein looked at how former Gators have fared in the league since 2001. The results are less spectacular than Florida fans would hope, though the team has certainly had its share of impact players.

3 » One former Gators star on the verge of a bleak NFL career is Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey. Though he has struggled thus far in Jacksonville and only compiled two sacks in 2009, Harvey is a favorite of new Jaguars assistant coach Joe Cullen. “Our pick was going to be Derrick Harvey if he was available,” Cullen recounted about the 2007 draft to The Florida Times-Union. “We did a lot of research on him, put him through a great one-on-one workout after Florida’s pro day. The qualities we saw in Derrick are still there. He’s explosive, strong. He’s going to be a powerful rusher. With more repetition and work, that can come out of him.”

4 » Looking back at college football recruiting classes from 2007, SI’s Andy Staples reaffirms that the Gators had the best class in the nation. “This class provided the raw materials for a championship,” Staples writes. “It’s interesting to note that this class could produce as many as four 2010 first-round draft picks.”

Tags: Derrick Harvey, Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars, Joe Cullen, NCAA Tournament, NFL, NIT

1 » Originally a second-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2007 NBA Draft, former Florida Gators forward/center Chris Richard was most recently playing for the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. That was until Feb. 5 when he signed a 10-day contract with the NBA‘s Chicago Bulls. In fact, the Bulls have been so impressed with his limited work that they have decided to sign Richard to a second 10-day contract as fellow former Florida F/C Joakim Noah continues to nurse his plantar fasciitis injury. Richard also played for Chicago during the preseason and saw action in six games before being released.

2 » It is tough to question new Kentucky Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips’ football credentials, seeing as he has coached Division I college football for over 20 years. But when he goes out of his way to call former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow a “goon,” well, OGGOA can certainly question his vocabulary. Asked by CBS if he senses “an opening at Florida with Urban Meyer’s status up in the air,” Phillips responded that the loss of Tebow is the real key. “Obviously, Florida won’t be the same,” he said. “They had a goon at quarterback. Usually the goon is the offensive or defensive lineman. They’ve had a goon at quarterback. That guy is a great leader. He could play anywhere. He’s a coach on the field. He’s one of those guys who rarely comes around. Now with him being gone, you hope that they take a step back. They will, definitely, in leadership.” If you want to get technical, there is a definition of goon (a man hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents) that fits Phillips’ usage…but it is a stretch to say the least. You could also argue that this BIT is a stretch. Well…so be it.

Tags: Chicago Bulls, Chris Richard, Joakim Noah, Joker Phillips, Kentucky Wildcats, NBA, NBA D-League, Tim Tebow, Tulsa 66ers, Urban Meyer